REWARDS: $10,000 offered in Long Beach, Lakewood homicides

LOS ANGELES - The Board of Supervisors today renewed three $10,000 rewards in unrelated homicides, hoping to track down whoever shot and killed men in Paramount, Lakewood and Long Beach. | POLICE NEWS

Supervisor Don Knabe, who recommended that each of the rewards be re- offered or extended, said he hoped the money would prompt reluctant witnesses to come forward.

The oldest case goes back to March 23, 2007, when a gunman walked up and shot 48-year-old Keith Shutt while Shutt was sitting in his vehicle in the 7700 block of East Monroe Street in Paramount. Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Sgt. Sandra Nava said Shutt had no gang ties and investigators do not know the gunman's motive.

In the second shooting death, the victim's family has offered an additional $10,000 -- bringing the total reward money to $20,000 -- for information leading to whoever shot 19-year-old Mark Mejia just after midnight on July 19, 2008.

Mejia was sitting inside his vehicle in front of a home in the 2900 block of Dashwood Street in Lakewood when someone drove up, got out of his car and began shooting, killing the teen.

In the most recent case, on Jan. 11, just before 4 a.m., Long Beach police found 26-year-old Lashown Fils near 14th Street and Cedar Avenue with a gunshot wound to his stomach. He was taken to a hospital, but died a few hours later.

Fils was not a gang member and the motive for the shooting is unknown, according to Long Beach police Detective Terri Hubert.

Anyone with information on the Shutt or Mejia shooting was asked to call Nava at (323) 574-4915 or sheriff's Sgt. Don Walls at (323) 574-4216. Those with information on the Fils shooting were asked to call Hubert at (562) 570- 5735 or Long Beach police Detective Mark Bigel at (562) 570-5572.